Gordon argues that “conditions in the past banished certain individuals, things, ideas…circumstances rendered them marginal, excluded or repressed” and that “life is complicated…having dimensions of complex personhood…where the past always haunts the present” (Gordon, 2008, p. 9). The theme of haunting in Isabel Allende’s “Walimai” demonstrates Avery Gordon’s belief that history, horror, and haunting are all intertwined in a complex web of existential existence. Throughout the story, the past haunts the present, shaping the lives and relationships of the characters. In “Walimai” by Isabel Allende and “Ghostly Matters” by Avery Gordon, the authors explore the complex relationship between history, memory, and haunting.
In “Walimai,” the protagonist is haunted by the memory of his dead wife, who died in childbirth. He hears her voice in the wind and feels her presence in his dreams, even though she is no longer physically present. This haunting is a metaphor for the ways in which the past can shape the present and influence personal relationships. As Gordon notes, “the past is always with us, though it may be repressed, suppressed, or forgotten” (Gordon, 2008, p. 3). Walimai’s experience demonstrates how the past can continue to exert a powerful influence on our lives, even long after it has passed. Moreover, the story also explores the legacy of colonialism on indigenous peoples. Walimai is an indigenous man who has been marginalized and oppressed by the colonizers. The specter of colonialism is a constant presence in his life, shaping his identity and relationships. As Gordon argues, “the ghosts of slavery, colonialism, war, and dispossession return with a vengeance when we least expect them” (Gordon, 2008, p. 6). To support this, Allende (1985) states that “Walimai had come back from the land of the spirits. He was no longer a living person, but he was not dead either” emphasizing the idea of haunting and help of ancestral relations to avenge their ancestors (p. 100). This haunting is a metaphor for the ways in which the past can continue to shape the present, even in the absence of physical presence.
Similarly, in “Ghostly Matters,” Gordon explores the ways in which the past can haunt the present, often in unexpected ways. She argues that “conditions in the past banished certain individuals, things, ideas…circumstances rendered them marginal, excluded or repressed” (Gordon, 2008, p. 9). These banished elements of the past can return in the form of ghosts, haunting us with their presence and reminding us of the past. Gordon’s theory is illustrated in “Walimai” through the character’s haunting experiences. Walimai is haunted not only by his dead wife but also by the legacy of colonialism on his people. As he struggles to navigate his identity and relationships, he is constantly reminded of the past and the ways in which it continues to shape his present. The story also highlights the importance of memory in shaping personal and cultural identity. Walimai’s memories of his wife and his people’s traditions are integral to his sense of self, and his struggle to preserve these memories in the face of colonial oppression is a powerful commentary on the ways in which dominant cultural narratives can erase the histories and identities of marginalized communities.
In “Ghostly Matters,” Gordon also explores the ways in which collective memory shapes cultural identity. She argues that “history is not merely the accumulation of facts, but the telling and retelling of stories” (Gordon, 2008, p. 8). Through the act of storytelling, communities are able to preserve their histories and pass them down to future generations. The presence of ghosts in “Walimai” can be seen as a manifestation of this collective memory, a reminder of the stories and traditions that have been suppressed by colonialism. In “Walimai,” the indigenous people and their land are colonized by Europeans, resulting in their displacement and the loss of their way of life. The haunting presence of the indigenous spirits and their culture is still felt by Walimai, who hears the voice of his grandfather and sees the ghost of a puma. These spirits represent the history and culture of the indigenous people that were repressed and excluded by the colonizers. As Avery Gordon argues in her book “Ghostly Matters,” the past always haunts the present, and the marginalization and exclusion of certain individuals and ideas continue to shape the present.
Isabel Allende’s “Walimai” explores the idea that the past always haunts the present, a concept that Avery Gordon also discusses in her book “Ghostly Matters.” As the narrator says, “The spirits of the dead keep them alive. They are their memories, their customs, their language, their essence. If the living forgets them, they will vanish” (Allende, 1985, p. 95). This quote supports Gordon’s idea that the past continues to shape the present, and that the forgotten or repressed history and culture of certain individuals and ideas can have lasting effects. Similarly, the spirits of those who have been oppressed and marginalized can continue to haunt the present. “The jungle was full of ghosts: the ghosts of the forest people who had disappeared, of the Patagonians, the Charrúas, and the Araucanians who had been massacred by the conquistadors and the colonizers. They had never left their land, and they were not going to let anyone else take it” (Allende, 1985, p. 99). This quote emphasizes the presence of the past and how it can manifest in haunting and ghostly ways.
Moreover, the presence of the indigenous spirits also challenges the colonizers’ domination and oppression of the indigenous people. Walimai, who is half-indigenous and half-European, feels that he is living between two worlds and that he does not truly belong in either. However, through his encounters with the spirits, he is able to reconnect with his indigenous roots and resist the colonizers’ domination. As Gordon argues, “haunting can provide a way of asserting and maintaining a sense of self that is not wholly determined by structures of power” (Gordon, 2008).
In “Walimai,” Isabel Allende explores the idea of haunting as a way of seeing and knowing about certain relationships, a concept that Avery Gordon also discusses in “Ghostly Matters.” For example, the narrator describes how Walimai’s ancestors continue to haunt the present, saying, “The spirits of the dead were always with us, but the spirits of the forest people were the strongest. They were in the water, in the wind, in the leaves, in the trunks of trees, in the rocks. They were the jungle, and their language was that of the forest” (Allende, 1985, p. 95). This quote emphasizes the presence of the past and how it can be accessed through haunting, as the spirits of the dead become a way of knowing about the forest and its inhabitants. Additionally, the narrator suggests that the haunting of the past can reveal hidden relationships and power dynamics, as seen in this quote: “The jungle was a stage for a perpetual drama of domination and submission, a struggle between the beasts, between the men, between the plants” (Allende, 1985, p. 96). This quote highlights the idea that the past is not just a static memory, but a dynamic force that continues to shape relationships and power structures in the present.
In conclusion, Isabel Allende’s “Walimai” demonstrates Avery Gordon’s idea that history, horror, and haunting are all intertwined existentially. The haunting presence of the indigenous spirits in the story represents the repressed and excluded history and culture of the indigenous people, as well as the ongoing domination and oppression by the colonizers. However, through the protagonist’s encounters with the spirits, he is able to resist the colonizers’ domination and reconnect with his indigenous roots. The story shows that the past always haunts the present and that acknowledging and confronting this haunting presence can provide a way of asserting and maintaining a sense of self that is not wholly determined by structures of power.
Allende, I. (1988). Walimai. In The Stories of Eva Luna. Atheneum.
Gordon, A. (1997). Ghostly Matters: Haunting and the Sociological Imagination.
References
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